Biggleswade - Brief history, Educational Institutions, Twinned Towns, Famous people from Biggleswade

52º05N 0º17W, pop (2001e) 10 500. Market town in Bedfordshire, SC England, UK; located on the R Ivel, 15 km/9 mi SE of Bedford; birthplace of Daniel Albone; railway; engineering, various light industries.

Biggleswade is a small market town on the River Ivel in Bedfordshire, England.

Located approximately 40 miles (60 km) north of Central London and 20 miles (30 km) west-southwest of Cambridge, the fastest train to London, King's Cross, takes about 37 minutes, while a car journey to central Cambridge takes approximately 35 minutes.

Brief history

The area around Biggleswade is thought to have been inhabited from around 10,000 BC, with arrowheads dating from this period found in the region.

In 1132, Henry I granted the manor of Biggleswade to Bishop Alexander - Alexander the Magnificent - of Lincoln to help endow Lincoln Cathedral.

The town is mentioned twice in the diaries of Samuel Pepys.

In 1785, there was a large fire in the town.

The Great Northern Railway opened in 1850, and Biggleswade was the first town in Bedfordshire to have a mainline station.

Biggleswade is also the base of the Jordan's cereals business which supply animal feeds but also produce their own brand breakfast Muesli and cereal bars which are sold worldwide.

Other goods which have been made in Biggleswade include Berkeley Caravans and Sportscars who had a factory in the town, which was later used by Kayser Bondor who made ladies' underwear and stockings in the town until the mid 1990s.

The town had a large brewery in the town centre for many decades: its last owners were Greene King but they closed it down in October 1997 and the site is now occupied by an ASDA supermarket.

Educational Institutions

Biggleswade as part of Bedfordshire runs a three-tier schooling system with lower schools catering for ages between 5 to 9, Middle schools from 9 to 13 and Stratton Upper School continuing education up and until 6th Form.

List of Schools:

Stratton Upper School and Community College

Holmemead Middle School

Edward Peake Middle School

St Andrew's Lower School

Lawnside Lower School

Southlands Lower School

Twinned Towns

Erlensee, (Germany) since 2000.

Famous people from Biggleswade

Dan Albone, inventor, manufacturer and cyclist, credited with making the first practical farm tractor, 'The Ivel Agricultural Motor'.

Henry Ryland, Pre-Raphaelite painter born in Biggleswade in 1856.